After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's independent music scenes, particularly the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village, Spektor signed with Sire Records in 2004 and began achieving greater mainstream recognition. After giving her third album a major label re-release, Sire released Spektor's fourth album, Begin to Hope, which achieved a Gold certification by the RIAA. Her following two albums, Far and What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, each debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. 2016's Remember Us to Life peaked at 23 on the Billboard 200.
Mayor Bill de Blasio proclaimed June 11, 2019, Regina Spektor Day in New York City. Spektor was also inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame on May 18, 2019, by Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.
Flyin
Regina Spektor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I went flyin' out of my window
Been caught doin' it once or twice
But it feels so real nice
Oh it feels so real nice
Saw the earth and I saw the sky
Saw the earth and I saw the sky
But it feels so real nigh
Oh it feels so real nigh
Oh it feels so real nigh
Went to school with them boring teachers
Who thought they was all my preachers
So I went starin' out of my window
I went starin' out of my window
Been caught doin' it once or twice
But it feels so real nice
Oh it feels so real nice,
Oh it feels so real nice, that I might even do it again
One of them took me with him to sleep
Said not to make a peep
Said it'll be a secret we keep
So I didn't make a peep
Kissed my cheek and rubbed my feet
But his kissin' didn't taste so sweet
Told him I just wanted to sleep
So he got mad
And he got madder, and he got maddest of them all
Sent me flyin' out of his window
Sent me flyin' out of his window
Not caught once, not caught twice
And I've been flyin' ever since
And I've been flyin' in the skies
The lyrics of Regina Spektor's song "Flyin'" depict a sense of liberation and escapism. The first two lines repeat the phrase "I went flying out of my window" which suggests the singer is possibly dreaming or daydreaming, and feels a need to escape from real life. It is as if the singer is running away from something unsatisfactory in their life, perhaps school or even their home life. The singer has been "caught doing it once or twice" which could mean a few things, but it suggests that this sense of escapism is not something that is accepted or understood by others.
The singer then talks about their experiences of liberation, seeing the earth and the sky, and escaping from their boring teachers. The repetition of the previous line contributes to the sense of dreaming, or perhaps the idea of the singer continuing to remember their previous experiences of flying. The repetition could also be a way of emphasising the singer's realisation of freedom while out flying. The singer relishes how it "feels so real nice" which could imply that everything else feels "not real nice."
Towards the end of the song, the singer describes how they were taken to bed by one of their teachers who tells them to keep it a secret. This moment brings the singer down to earth as they realise what they thought was a secret pathway to freedom has been corrupted. The singer expresses their reluctance and tells the teacher they just want to sleep, which leads to the teacher's anger and their subsequent expulsion from the teacher's room. The song ends with "I've been flying ever since, and I've been flying in the skies," which could suggest that the singer has found a way to stay free and connected to their dreams and imagination.
Line by Line Meaning
I went flyin' out of my window
The singer escaped from something by jumping out of a window
I went flyin' out of my window
This happened more than once
Been caught doin' it once or twice
The singer has been caught in the act before
But it feels so real nice
Jumping out of the window is a liberating and enjoyable experience for the artist
Saw the earth and I saw the sky
The artist gets a new perspective of the world by flying in the air
Been caught doin' it once or twice
The singer has been caught flying before
But it feels so real nigh
Flying feels almost surreal to the singer
Went to school with them boring teachers
The artist attends school with uninteresting teachers
Who thought they was all my preachers
The teachers act like superior moral guides to the students
So I went starin' out of my window
The artist looks out of the window, daydreaming
Been caught doin' it once or twice
The singer has been caught daydreaming before
But it feels so real nice
Daydreaming is a pleasant escape for the artist
One of them took me with him to sleep
One of the teachers sexually abuses the singer when they are supposed to be sleeping
Said not to make a peep
The teacher threatens the singer into silence
Said it'll be a secret we keep
The teacher tries to make the singer feel like it is their shared secret
So I didn't make a peep
The artist stays quiet about the abuse
Kissed my cheek and rubbed my feet
The teacher is sexual with the artist in a non-violent way
But his kissin' didn't taste so sweet
The singer didn't enjoy the attention from the teacher
Told him I just wanted to sleep
The singer tries to deflect the teacher's advances
So he got mad
The teacher becomes angry when he is rejected
And he got madder, and he got maddest of them all
The teacher escalates his anger to an extreme level
Sent me flyin' out of his window
The teacher throws the artist out of the window
Sent me flyin' out of his window
This action launches the singer's habit of flying
Not caught once, not caught twice
The artist has not been caught flying since leaving the abusive situation
And I've been flyin' ever since
The singer now flies as a means of escape from trauma
And I've been flyin' in the skies
The singer regularly uses flying as a coping mechanism
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: REGINA SPEKTOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cam
I went flyin' out of my window,
I went flyin' out of my window.
Been caught doin' it once or twice,
But it feels so real nice.
Oh, it feels so real nice.
Saw the earth and I saw the sky,
Saw the earth and I saw the sky.
Been caught doin' it once or twigh,
But it feels so real nigh -
Oh it feels so real nigh,
Oh it feels so real nigh.
Went to school with them boring teachers,
Who thought they was all my preachers,
So I went starin' out of my window,
I went starin' out of my window.
Been caught doin' it once or twice,
But it feels so real nice.
Oh it feels so real nice,
Oh it feels so real nice, that I might even do it again.
One of them took me with him to sleep,
Said not to make a peep,
Said it'll be a secret we keep,
So I didn't make a peep.
Kissed my cheek and rubbed my feet,
But his kissin' didn't taste so sweet.
Told him I just wanted to sleep,
So he got mad.
And he got madder, and he got maddest of them all.
Sent me flyin' out of his window,
Sent me flyin' out of his window.
Not caught once, not caught twice.
And I've been flyin' ever since,
And I've been flyin' in the skies.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since.
Anna Walsh
I love the juxtaposition of such a serious, morbid topic with such a playful beat. Only Regina could pull something like this off.
Allison Simone
I love this song! People forget about 11:11 too much
PinkSkinnyRhinos
regina spektor is a perfect human specimen
Cam
I went flyin' out of my window,
I went flyin' out of my window.
Been caught doin' it once or twice,
But it feels so real nice.
Oh, it feels so real nice.
Saw the earth and I saw the sky,
Saw the earth and I saw the sky.
Been caught doin' it once or twigh,
But it feels so real nigh -
Oh it feels so real nigh,
Oh it feels so real nigh.
Went to school with them boring teachers,
Who thought they was all my preachers,
So I went starin' out of my window,
I went starin' out of my window.
Been caught doin' it once or twice,
But it feels so real nice.
Oh it feels so real nice,
Oh it feels so real nice, that I might even do it again.
One of them took me with him to sleep,
Said not to make a peep,
Said it'll be a secret we keep,
So I didn't make a peep.
Kissed my cheek and rubbed my feet,
But his kissin' didn't taste so sweet.
Told him I just wanted to sleep,
So he got mad.
And he got madder, and he got maddest of them all.
Sent me flyin' out of his window,
Sent me flyin' out of his window.
Not caught once, not caught twice.
And I've been flyin' ever since,
And I've been flyin' in the skies.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since,
And I’ve been flyin’ in the sky.
(Flyin’ in the sky.)
And I’ve been flyin’ ever since.
Rochelle Burton
WOW. this gurl is amazing. So many influences combined here. that's crazy! love it. - Rochelle.
Lizzie12348
great song.
Olga Zamora Larsson
I love finding new Regina stuff that i haven't seen before. =D
Luisa Cajamarca
Still great!
templarsquad
Very macabre..but playful too, like only she can do.
leigh2theR
My interpretation is it is about a girl escaping in a couple of different ways. At the beginning she is escaping through drugs, then at school she escapes by daydreaming and then at the end when she is being sexually abused by her teacher, it sounded to me that he also kills her and her soul escapes to fly...